How a band of brothers brought Native American rock to the global Billboard charts
In short: Formed in 1969 by Pat and Lolly Vegas, Redbone became the first Native American band to score a gold-certified Top 5 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. By blending swamp rock with indigenous influences, they challenged industry stereotypes and carved a permanent space for Native identity in popular music culture.
Brothers Pat and Lolly Vegas, born in Coalinga, California, spent a decade in Los Angeles honing their craft as session musicians for legends like Tina Turner and Elvis Presley. Inspired by Jimi Hendrix to form an all-Native American rock group, they recruited Peter DePoe and Tony Bellamy to launch Redbone in 1969. The band’s name, a Louisiana term for mixed-race individuals, reflected their Yaqui, Shoshone, and Mexican heritage, which they proudly showcased through their stage regalia and album art.
The band’s sound was a complex fusion of rock, funk, R&B, and tribal elements, defined by Lolly Vegas’s innovative use of the Leslie rotating speaker effect and Peter DePoe’s unique 'King Kong' drumming style. Their 1974 hit 'Come and Get Your Love' became a cultural phenomenon, selling over a million copies and spending 24 weeks on the charts. While they achieved massive success overseas with tracks like 'The Witch Queen of New Orleans', their 1973 song 'We Were All Wounded at Wounded Knee' faced controversy in the United States, where it was banned by several radio stations for its direct confrontation of the 1890 massacre.
Beyond their musical output, Redbone used their platform to advocate for Indigenous rights, notably performing at the first Earth Day in Philadelphia. Their legacy has endured through decades of cultural shifts; 'Come and Get Your Love' saw a massive resurgence after its inclusion in the 2014 film Guardians of the Galaxy. Despite the deaths of key members like Tony Bellamy in 2009 and Lolly Vegas in 2010, Pat Vegas continues to perform, ensuring the band's history as pioneers of Native representation in the commercial music industry remains visible for new generations.
The band’s influence was formally recognized with their 2008 induction into the Native American Music Association Hall of Fame and their 2013 inclusion in the Smithsonian. By refusing to hide their heritage in an era when Indigenous people were largely ignored or misrepresented in media, Redbone proved that Native artists could achieve global commercial success while remaining authentic to their roots.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Redbone (band)
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